LeyLines
by child-dragon
Summary: A short from the perspective of one of Malygos's blue drakes.


Could any of them understand? No no no, of course not. That moment when the sky abandoned the earth, spurning its embrace and granting dominion to the currents of the wind, the clouds, the sheer grief and joy of being. It tore at him, yet still he stretched his wings, marveled at how the muscles stretched and hummed, giving him lift, giving him flight, giving him freedom. How could any – but him – understand?

There was a sheen over the blue drake's eyes. It was like the outer lid that protected the delicate pupil from the wind had crystallized. He banked, circling the torrent of raw magic that erupted from the center of the dragonshire.

The memories were fragmented, coming in bits and pieces. He had been born into them, and the few moments he was uncertain of his place in this world, in his connection to Malygos and the flight were stripped clean by the feel of the power in his veins and the scattered fragments of purpose. It burned all doubt away. None of the others could understand.

It frustrated him. They couldn't understand! And how was he to make them! He winged his way in a lazy circle, the tremors in his heart seeming to pulse in turn with the flow of power along the ley lines. It was like the touch of a moth, delicate, so easy to shatter. It was no wonder the world was in danger of being torn asunder, no wonder he and his kin were asked to do these things. One wing dropped, one stretched to touch the blue and he banked hard, almost lazily sighting down a red drake that was approaching.

If only they understood.

There was one of the younger races on the drake's back… human? He couldn't tell. It seemed distorted and he blinked his glazed eyes. For a moment it seemed human, then maybe an elf… then something else entirely. It wouldn't remain clear. He listened to the thrum of magic in his breast instead and the constant, unending chorus of will that cascaded down from Malygos.

Lightning streamed forth from his maw. He narrowed his wings, his sleek body falling into a half-dive, picking up momentum as the crackling ball of energy danced around the red drake. It balked and the figure on its back stood and spread its hands. Duel streams of fire engulfed him – dragon breath and magic. He emerged from the conflagration, scales steaming, one eye melted and running from the socket to freeze in the winter air before it had a chance to escape the embrace of his body.

The two dragons collided, the red buckling from the full impact of the blue's body. They fell together, entwined and clawing at each other, their shrieks and cries like wild animals and not the dragons they were. The red rolled, directing his fall with his wings, trying to right himself so the rider would not be crushed under his bulk. The three slammed into the snow, a shockwave of white blooming and leaving an imprint of their fall that would only last until the next snow. The two dragons continued to claw at each other. The blue was breathing hard now, laughing in between gasps. The red was trying to retreat, finally slamming his tail into the side of the blue's head, momentarily stunning it. The drake glanced about wildly, oblivious to his own injuries, trying to find where his rider had fallen.

The blue had recovered. He lunged, his one good eye rolled back in his head, blood staining his jaw, and clamped down onto the back of the red's neck. His teeth cracked through the scales and he bunched his shoulder muscles, bracing himself to shake and snap the red's neck. Arcane energy lanced into and through him and for a moment it felt like the call of the ley lines and the column of energy in the shire. Like the call of his flight. Like the beat of his heart. But it was not, and his blood faltered, his breath stopped, and his body gave out. The blue staggered, staring incomprehensibly at the human, one side of his robe stained with blood, cradling an arm close to his chest and the other outstretched, the last remnants of a spell drifting away on the wind.

The human and red drake exchanged words. The blue watched them, trying to discern what his fragmented thoughts were telling him.

It hurt.

The human got on the red's back. They took to the skies… his domain! Did they not understand the glory of it?

So much pain… he wanted to stand.

Why couldn't they understand?

Snow settled on his eye and he did not blink it away. The hum of arcane power continued on, the loss of one heartbeat unnoticed to the torrent.


End file.
